Baby I Can Replace You But I Don't Want To
by Wing-Clipped-Dove
Summary: Maybe this was a bad idea. Brittana, hinting of Finntana.
1. Baby I Can Replace You

I own nothing.

* * *

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should stop herself. But it's too late and her hand is already twisting the doorknob and somehow her feet are already in the room.

He looks kind of stupid, standing in front of a mirror that should be full-length, but is just too small for him. He fumbling with his [tie] even though it should be easy. It's a clip-on, it's supposed to be foolproof. Not for him, apparently.

He sees her. He knows she's there.

She gets it. She should turn around. This is one of those ideas that end with her fighting in song, and really, she has a reputation to uphold. But she does it anyways, because no one ever said she was the smart one.

Her feet are being bitches and carrying her there before she has enough time to think it out.

"Huh, I never learned how to tie a tie." he says when she reaches his side. He smiles when he says it and she hates to admit that even though it shouldn't be, it's adorable. So she's returning it, looking up at his kind eyes, and taking the tie from his fumbling fingers.

"Sit down, Frankenteen." It's not unkind when she says it, but now she's thinking maybe there was too much affection. Too much feeling.

So she kind of just starts talking, and words come out that she doesn't think she means but doesn't want to admit that. "I guess you know you're losing it. I mean, Sam is clearly the new Glee favorite. He's going to become starting quarterback, an-"

"What's your point?"

And here it is. This is why she found him, this is why she entered the room. Her brain is working in over time, the rational part telling her to take it all back, to just leave the room. The angry part, the jealous part, though, is a lot stronger and that's the side that is pushing her to do this.

"My point, is that you need a coolness injection. If you were honest and told people that we did it last year, you would go from uncool to chilly-willy in a heartbeat."

She's saying all this, and yes, it's true, but all of her reasons are wrong and it's not okay but she doesn't have the resolve to stop herself. _ She's_ the reason she's doing this. He's the guy who fits.

"Maybe, but I can't do that. Neither can you." He's starting to look uncomfortable, but his words are strong and his meaning rings clear.

"Yes I can, so can you. You don't love her, you know. Berry is only using you so she can get what she wants." The words sting, maybe only to herself because he's lacking expression in the facial expression department right now.

"Santana, my relationship with Rachel isn't your relationship with Britt. And Brittany never used you. You used her." He knows, and of course he does because who the hell doesn't?

His words make sense but her brain doesn't want sense. It can't handle it right now.

So she's acting with that bad part of her again and she's pushing her lips against his, except he's not pulling away. This is good. He's a simple guy, a simple teenaged boy and those are the people she knows best, because girls suck and they always want more, but simple guys don't.

He knows what she's doing when she reaches for his pants, so he pulls back.

"Santana." His words make you stop trying. "Look, I really want this. I like you. But right now I'm with Rachel. And maybe you're right and I don't love her but I do care a lot about her. Maybe we can try this later. When I'm not with her." He has a goofy grin on his face, and again she's thinking it's adorable, but dammit, she's returning it again.

"Yeah, definitely." He gives her a parting smile, and leaves her standing all alone in the room.

He's goofy, and a little dumb, but all kinds of sweet, and she wants him to be her replacement. She's done with blondes and their boyfriends and their angry looks.

Maybe this was a bad idea, but it's the best she's got.


	2. Walk Away

She was walking up to her. Santana did not need this today. Today she needed peace. Today she needed to be left alone or else she might snap.

"I heard you were dating Finn, now." _Yup, sure am. But I don't want to be._

"Yeah, and you're dating Artie, what's your point?" It comes out with more venom than she'd meant, but she doesn't take it back, and she doesn't apologise, even though she sees the hurt look on her face.

"San, don't be that way. I don't like not being in your life. It's like that time you got the chicken pox when we were six and I couldn't see you for two whole weeks and neither of us had any idea what happened with each other. I missed you then. I miss you now. Where'd my best friend go?" She whispered it, as though they would be heard, alone in the hallway. Or maybe she thought if Santana had to strain to hear her, she'd listen better. It made sense, with Brittany's logic.

Santana sighs, shutting her locker with more force than was necessary. "Look, Britt. We both have boyfriends now, we're both busy. I can't always hang out with you. Besides, why do you need me? You have the cripple."

There goes the venom again, she needs to work on that. She's signing again, but it's less annoyed, more resigned. "I'm sorry. I've been stressed out. Berry has been on my ass all week. If I had known dating Frankenteen were this hard, I wouldn't have been so stupid."

Brittany's confused by what she means, Santana can see.

"You know, San, I used to think that you were like Santa Claus."

_What? _"What?"

Brittany laughed, her eyes crinkling in amusement. "You know, too good to be true. How could some one as awesome as you be real? How could you want my friendship? But then I realised, as long as you believe something is real, it exists. Like Santa. I knew he didn't exist, but then I saw how sad Artie was, not being able to dance. So I believed. And now he can walk.

"I'm going to try that with you. The whole believing thing. Maybe if I believe in you enough, you'll want me like you wanted me before sex was dating. I know I'm with Artie, but he told me I took something special from him, I'm trying to give it back. I just don't know how." She looked confused again, and Santana fought the urge to find Artie and castrate him.

"Britt. I don't want you like that anymore. I have Finn and once I get Berry off my tail we'll be good together. I'm trying to be gentle here. Artie is better. Better than me, and what I could've been for you."

It was the most truthful thing Santana had said to Brittany, at least in a long time. And even then it was mostly a lie.

_Tell her you want her. Tell her you need her. For once be something that's good enough for Brittany._

"It's okay. I understand. You're scared. You see what happens to Kurt, and to the kids in glee. I need to go, though. Artie wants to duet again. He's been wanting to all week. Bye, San. See you around." With her parting words Brittany walked off down the hall, not turning back, not pausing, not doing any of the things that Santana wanted her to.

"People walking away is getting really fucking annoying," she grumbled, turning in the opposite direction, directly into Finn.

"Who's walking away from you?" he asked, concern written on his face.

"No one, Finn. I was just talking to myself. C'mon. Let's go have a repeat of last year. Actually, no. You're going to last longer this time."

Finn smiles at her, and he tries to make what should be an adorable lip bite, but all Santana can think about it how Brittany used to do the same thing.

Today she wanted peace. Instead she got turmoil. But she also got time, to figure shit out. Maybe someday she wouldn't be scared. Maybe someday, Brittany would be the one biting her lip.


	3. Point One to the MidWest

Finn was good for her. He smiled, he asked how her day was, and he had sex with her whenever. (She did kind of feel bad for Rachel, what with Finn leaving her for sex.)

But, he was Finn. He was still a hypocrite, he was still slightly homophobic, and he was still a general idiot from time to time.

He couldn't dance either. Who in the hell is in a glee club, and cannot dance?

He wasn't-

He couldn't-

She didn't want him.

"Finn, can you stop, please?" He moved away from her neck, licking his lips.

"Did I do something wrong?" He looked apologetic, but eager to please and fix whatever he had done wrong.

Santana hated doing this, but she was a coward. And she did what cowards do. She dropped everything and ran. "I need to break up with you. Ever since Beiste made Lady-lips quarterback again, you've been slowly sliding down the social pyramid. I need to stay on top. I am a Cheerio, the top is where I belong."

"You're just a bitch, Santana," he snapped, getting off of his bed furiously. "First you pine after me, so I break up with Rachel for you and then you treat Rach like shit, and now you're breaking up with me over being popular. What the hell?" He was angry, and he showed it, kicking at the bed in frustration.

She laughed silently in her head. _Yeah, way to handle this like a man, Frankenteen._

"Damn straight I'm a bitch. Now move, you're blocking the door." She was terse, like their relationship. _Keep it concise, get to the good stuff, get done with it._

He moved, whispering 'bitch' as he did.

_Screw him, he and the freak deserve each other._

Being single was easy for Santana. It didn't stop her from hooking up with anyone she wanted to, she was in control when she was single.

She didn't want to be.

She wanted Brittany.

So she devised a plan. The least badass, most disgustingly adorable plan she could think of that Brittany would love.

It started with a note.

"Mr. Schue, do you think you could give this to Brittany during Spanish tomorrow? It's kind of important. And she might ask for help reading it."

He looked apprehensive, but he understood that something was up with the normally bitchy Latina. "Sure, Santana. Can do."

The next step was the list. The list of pros and cons. It was hard, writing down all of the good things about being with Brittany. The hardest part, though, were the cons.

"Luis, could you help me with something?" Her brother looked up from his phone, giving Santana a small 'huh?'. "It'll only take a second. What would be a bad thing if I dated Brittany?"

"You're dating Brittany? About time." He smiled, the way siblings do when they're proud of each other.

"No, Luis, but I want to date her. I just need to know what the bad parts would be."

He laughed, "Hermana, we live in Ohio. That's the only bad part."

"Thanks, hermano."

"San!" She turned, not really wanting to do this. But, if Kurt, the most flaming homo in Ohio, could get the balls to find a boyfriend, she could work up the courage to try it with Brittany.

"I got your letter. It was really sweet, the way you got Mr. Schue to give it to me during Spanish. I mean, it would have been nicer if you had written it in like, English instead of Spanish, because i had to get Mr. Schue to translate it, because I'm in remedial Spanish 2, remember? But, like I said, it was so sweet. You shou-"

"I want you to break up with Artie. I want to be your boyfriend. Well, no actually, I want to be your girlfriend."

"San."

"I made a list. Of pros and cons. I spent a long time on this list. There were 467 pros. There was one con."

"San."

"The con was 'we live in Ohio'. You know, it's crazy here and so homophobic. But then I realised, like, we wouldn't be alone. We have glee. And Kurt, and his boyfriend, the one with the nice eyes. We'd have each other, too.'

"Santana!" Brittany shouted, trying to garner Santana's attention.

She looked up, not realising that her eyes had drifted to the floor.

"Sorry, yeah?"

Brittany smiled, and she started laughing, much to Santana's horror.

"San, I broke up with Artie weeks ago. Where have you been?" _Ignoring you and sleeping with Finn._

"I- really? I thought, that you were repaying him, or whatever."

"Silly, I realised that you were more important than some silly thing I took that I don't even understand."

Santana smiled. "Can I please be your Santa Claus, Britt?"

As if it were possible, Brittany smiled back even brighter. "You already are.

Brittany was good for her. She smiled, she asked how her day was, and she had sex with her whenever. (She didn't feel bad at all for Artie, what with him being a sexist ass.)

But, she was Brittany. She was still a ditz, she was still the nicest girl in the world, and she still loved Santana despite them being totally different.

She could dance too. Who doesn't like a dancer?

She was-

She could-

Santana didn't want anyone else.


End file.
